1. Field of Invention
The present invention provides a new structure and passenger transport paradigm for accommodating passengers in aircraft with particular attention paid to the need to sleep comfortably on long flights while maintaining passenger safety standards, discretionary posture changes for passengers and efficiently utilizing cabin space.
2. Description of the Related Art
Passenger aircraft have evolved since their invention by the Wright brothers, from the single seat vehicle to the giant passenger aircraft of today, with little change in the flexibility of passenger posture or positioning. Moreover as a result, there has been little incremental efficiency that has been possible in the process of embarking and disembarking the aircraft and for major changes in safety arrangements in the event of a crisis. The governing paradigm for passenger aircraft design is that there should be seats that passengers are assigned to and this becomes their "habitat" during the flight with some movement in the cabin permitted. Movement though is not always easy particularly in the Economy cabins of such aircraft where seats are closely spaced to maximize space utilization. As a result only "aisle passengers" get access to easy movement. Second, such closely spaced seats prevent the possibility of horizontal positioning of the seats except with the less efficient spacing that First and possibly Business class offer.
Sleep on an aircraft in the current context is an important consideration particularly in trans-continental flights that could take anywhere from five hours to over twenty hours in the air. Many passengers avoid travel rather than sleep on "red eye" flights.
Ehrick U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,836 (1998) describes a system where a set of container modules in the hold of an aircraft may be refurbished to create individual habitats including bunks and other facilities for a few passengers at a time. The only connection to the aircraft cabin is the passageway for access. The arrangement is not designed to accommodate passengers at take off and landing (Col 4, line 26) presumably as the necessary safety issues under those conditions are not considered. Secondly there is a separate space allocated for the sleeping arrangements to the passenger habitat--the seats. Morgan U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,383,629 (1995) and 5,372,339 (1994) describe an emergency medical system that transports patients on bunks that may be inclined and raised or lowered. There is no adjustment for posture or orientation of the patients. The arrangement can however be modified to accommodate sitting passengers or patients in a different alternative configuration. There are however, no arrangements for discretionary changes in posture by passengers. Halim U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,612 (1986) describes a system where passengers may be accommodated in a sitting posture or alternatively all passengers may be accommodated in a horizontal sleeping posture. There is no arrangement that allows passengers to choose the orientation or posture they desire without altering the posture of all the other passengers in a module. Mutke U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,210 (1978) describes an arrangement where passengers are accommodated in bunkers that are slidable in racks. He also has a head rest that may be inclined. There are no passenger safety arrangements considered. Further the posture of passengers is limited to horizontal and horizontal except for a raised upper body. Murphy U.S. Pat. No. 2,946,294 (1957) describes arrangements for private compartments in passenger vehicles. These include sleeping areas sitting accommodation, toilet facilities and other amenities. He does not address the current concerns about economy of space in current day passenger aircraft and the safety issues related to current day air travel. Cozzoli U.S. Pat. No. 2,480,322 (1949) describes stretchers arranged in an aircraft for use as an ambulance. The arrangement does not address the safety issues in current day aircraft. Furthermore it does not consider discretionary changes in posture by passengers. McDonnell U.S. Pat. No. 2,124,003 (1938) describes an arrangement for convertible seats to bunk beds in aircraft. He does not address the safety issues of current day aircraft. Moreover the arrangement requires. passengers to coordinate their sleeping arrangements. Page U.S. Pat. No. 2,092,655 (1937) describes a two tier system of bunk beds that can be converted to seats, these may however not meet the space economy constraint or safety needs of contemporary passenger aircraft. Kleinberg U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,059 (1999) describes a vehicle sleeper restraint system that uses an airbag installed in a shelf above the bunker and a detachable fabric or mesh screen or padded wall on the side of the passenger, for secondary collision protection in the event of crashes and roll overs. The system is more appropriate for low velocity vehicles such as recreational vehicles or even low speed trains. Airbag deployment as noted above the passenger is likely to suffocate the passenger. Moreover, the screen or wall structure on the side of the passenger will not provide the targeted energy absorption to the passenger. Moreover, a wall structure will be heavy and unsuitable for aircraft deployment. Finally there is no provision for the passenger to change orientation in the same space with this arrangement. LeGrand U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,989 (1974) describes a geometric arrangement where human forms can be fitted in a position that is explained to be restful. Legrand U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,908 (1987) describes an arrangement for public transport vehicles where bunks are arranged above the seats with two seats to every bunk. The bunks and seats occupy different physical space.
All of the above items of background art related to providing sleeping accommodation in passenger vehicles. None of them provide workable safety arrangements for aircraft particularly during take off and landing. Moreover, none of them provide each passenger with the option for discretionary independent change in posture from a full horizontal sleeping position to a upright sitting position, without incursion into the preferences of other passengers, with these changes in posture in the same habitat with the resulting space economies.